


Together Forever

by gurajiorasu



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 21:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2707115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gurajiorasu/pseuds/gurajiorasu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“How are you?” Ohno asked with a calmer and more serious tone. Suddenly it felt like they were two old friends who were trying to catch up on each other. It felt slightly wrong but Nino couldn’t ask for more than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together Forever

“Niiii~ no~ miiii~ ya~,” the familiar voice swarmed to Nino’s ears and his body shuddered a bit. It was funny how hearing his own name spelled out by someone else could make him feel like this, but it was Ohno - _his_ Ohno - so he gave in.

“Oh chan..”

“Niiino, Nino, _Niiiiino_ ,” Ohno singsonged. There was a chuckle slipped in.

“Yes, Oh chan, it’s me,” Nino couldn’t help but smile. His name sounded so beautiful being called so affectionately like that. It gave him warm feeling, the one that he had forgotten he could feel.

“Niiino~ _My_ Niiiiino~,” Ohno continued and if Nino didn’t know better, he might suspect that Ohno had been drinking. Ohno laughed heartily and Nino realized how he loved that lazy and short laughter.

Then, silence. Ohno’s playful chants and laughter stopped and so did Nino’s heart. Nino could hear Ohno’s steady breaths and somehow it opened a hole in his heart.

“How are you?” Ohno asked with a calmer and more serious tone. Suddenly it felt like they were two old friends who were trying to catch up on each other. It felt slightly wrong but Nino couldn’t ask for more than that.

“I’m fine. I’m just fine,” if Nino was being honest, it wouldn’t be his answer. But then again, with Ohno’s voice in his ears, he couldn’t think about any other answer. The answer leaked through his lips naturally because with Ohno, it was always fine.

“Have you been eating properly? Sleeping properly too?”

Nino smiled sheepishly but he didn’t answer to that. It would be too wrong if he’s about to lie about it too.

After a considerable length of silence, Ohno continued, “You should take care of yourself, Nino. It’s not that hard. Just eat when MatsuJun tells you and sleep when you can.”

Nino rested his head back. The bark of the tree didn’t feel so pleasant but he didn’t care. His eyes wandered to the clear sky up above.

There’s this certain feeling that Nino always had in times like this and it suffocated him. It was like something was welling up to his throat, like something was cutting the air’s way to his lungs. Nino hated this feeling. He was supposed to be happy for it was Ohno - _his_ Ohno - that he was talking to, but this certain feeling was always getting the best of him.

“I love my Nino happy and healthy, you know that,” Ohno’s voice was so steady, so unwavering, that Nino found himself embarrassed by all the shaking that his tiny body did.

“I’m sorry, Oh chan,” Nino apologized. He tried to swallow all those invisible thorns that were poking his throat and once again, he made a silent promise to eat and sleep properly.  
Probably, it would last longer this time.

Around that time, Nino’s eyes caught some figures emerged with urge but he didn’t pay much attention to them. He already knew who they were anyway.

“Actually, I love my Nino. Period. But I want you happy and healthy,” Ohno chuckled.

Nino chuckled along and closed his eyes to savor the pleasant feeling of being loved. He heard some people arrived in front of him with relieved breaths and expressions of worry but he didn’t budge. Ohno was telling him that he loves him, the world could crumble down to ashes and Nino wouldn’t bat an eye on it.

After a while, the newcomers stopped talking and sat on the ground, close to Nino.

“How are they? MatsuJun, Sho kun, Aiba chan?” Ohno asked again.

Nino grinned, amused by the perfect timing. He opened his eyes and glanced to his band-mates who just stared back at him.  
“Fine, Oh chan. They are fine,” an automatic answer but it was the truth. They were better than Nino, at least.

Sho and Jun exchanged a short look, then everyone looked down to the grass.  
They _always_ acted like that when Nino talked to Ohno, lately.

“Keep them safe, yeah? Take care of them,” Ohno said with an abundance of fondness that let Nino knew just how much the older man loved his most favorite silly guys.

“Hm,” Nino gave a quick nod.

“I know they will take care of you,” the confidence in it was overflowing; Ohno trusted his best friends that much.

It was actually so true that Nino nodded some more to confirm it, his eyes were scanning his band-mates one by one once again. He noticed that his eyes were already blurry with a layer of tears and he cursed himself for it, “Yeah.”

Ohno coughed rather alarmingly and Nino winced. Ohno was in pain and Nino could feel the pain reflected in his own chest.

It was burning, it was suffocating. It made Nino wanted to run to Ohno and hug him tight.  
But Nino knew he couldn’t and it killed him slowly.

“Oh chan.. Oh chan, breathe,” Nino tried and his voice was trembling. Tears were betraying him.

Aiba scooted closer to Nino and took him to his embrace. His hand brushed Nino’s arm up and down repeatedly, his lips found its way to Nino’s top of the head.

Ohno struggled hard to stop his cough but he was failing. There were other people’s voices behind him, trying to help him, but he waved them away.

Ohno was a persistent man when he wanted to and it just pierced Nino’s heart more.

“Ni-,” Ohno tried to talk but the cough came again.

“Oh chan, breathe first, okay?” hearing his lover struggled so hard to talk to him made Nino’s heart torn and frayed, “ _Breathe_ , Oh chan, please.”

Jun let out a sound and everyone knew that he was crying too right then. He sneaked his hand and linked it to Nino’s as his way to calm the older down.

In front of them, Sho was playing with the grass and chewing his lower lip cruelly.

Ohno’s breaths were ragged but finally the cough had stopped. He tried his best to even his breaths and after a while, he succeeded.  
“Nino..,” he started again.

“Yes, Oh chan?” Nino squeaked.

“Nino, I love you, okay? I love you,” Ohno said as if he was afraid that Nino wouldn’t believe it, “I love every ounce of you with every ounce of myself. You have to know that by heart, okay?”

Nino wanted to answer but the lump in his throat was preventing him from doing so, so he just nodded. His tears were streaming like crazy and Aiba wiped it softly for him.

“And you have to know that I will never - _never_ \- leave you completely.”

Nino pulled his knees inward and outright wailed. He couldn’t take this. He would never be able to take this.

“As long as you have me in your heart - as long as you guys have me in your hearts - then I will _always_ be there. We will _always_ be together.”

Nino gave up trying to be strong. He gave up trying to answer. It was always too much for him.  
Just like his love for Ohno; _too much_.

“Let’s stay together forever,” Ohno’s voice was finally wavered. At last, his defense was failing. Nino knew he was crying too when he said it again, “ _Forever_.”

Nino nodded haphazardly. If he had one wish, it would be it; to stay together with his Ohno. _Forever_.

“I love you. And tell our princess that I love him too. Aiba chan too, I love him like crazy. And Sho kun- Sho kun-,” Ohno talked so fast because he was engulfed by his own overflowing feelings and it caused him to run out of his own breath. The fact that he was also sobbing didn’t really help too, “I love Sho kun too. So much. So, so, _so_ much. Tell them that, yeah? Yeah, Nino?”

Nino could only nod again. His heart felt so, so, _so_ painful. He sobbed along with Ohno and he was struggling hard to not let hyperventilation beat him.

For some moment, the only things that could be heard were sobs and hitched breaths and it was agonizing. Torturing. Smothering.

Nino knew Ohno was giving his best on calming himself down, so he did too. Ohno was faster, of course, and after one deep intake of breath, Nino could hear Ohno’s smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to breakdown like that but, yeah.. now you know how much I love you guys,” Ohno said it sincerely, “Remember what I said, okay? I will never leave you completely. _Never_. Carve that in your heart, it’s a leader’s words, you know.”

Nino snorted a laugh, touched by the way his lover still could put up a joke in times like this. He smiled again, knowing that it was what his dearest would love.

“Alright then, I think that’s all I want to say.”

Nino knew this was coming but still, he felt a sharp sting of loneliness.

“Hey, Nino,” Ohno said and Nino knew by heart what he would say so he said it together with Ohno,

 _“I love you_.”

Then, static.

Nino buried his face on Aiba’s shoulder and he cried his heart out. Aiba caressed his hair soothingly but Aiba himself was crying too. Jun squeezed Nino’s hand and leaned on Nino’s side. Sho, who was wiping out every single teardrop that was forming in his eyes, moved closer and reached for Nino’s other hand.

It took some times until they could function properly again.

“He said that he loves you guys,” Nino said when he finally gained enough strength to do so.

“Uhn,” Aiba nodded several times.

“We love him too, he knows that,” Sho tried to sound steady enough and to that, Jun nodded.

“Yeah, he knows that,” Nino smiled a bit. Then, his hand took the Walkman that was connected to the earphone that he was using, “Let me borrow this for a little longer ne, Masaki?”

Aiba nodded again, “You can keep it for as long as you want.”

Nino smiled and brought the Walkman close to his heart. He held it so dearly, so protectively, for a slight bump might erase the precious memory he had inside it.  
Memory of Ohno. Their Ohno. _His_ Ohno.

Nino clutched it tightly, sharing his heartbeat with it as if it could give it a life.

Then, after his tears were dried and his heartbeat was steady enough, he pressed a button.

_Replay._

“Niiii~ no~ miiii~ ya~”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for songification, based on Nino's song; Cassette Tape.
> 
> I used translation from yarukizero@lj (Thank you! ♥)


End file.
